Saturday Fulham Stuff (02/06/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Veteran duo and Dempsey's Fulham futures in doubt
Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson on Premier League free transfer list



An impressive ninth-place finish in his first season at Fulham might not be enough to spare Martin Jol from a summer of rebuilding at Craven Cottage.

Versatile American Clint Dempsey, one of the most impressive Premier League performers last term, is rumoured to have attracted the interest of Manchester United and Arsenal and has hinted that he would find either hard to turn down.

He said: "I am grateful for everything Fulham have done for me, some of the best memories I have in soccer have been there, but the fact remains that I want to play in the Champions League. I want to play at the highest level possible.

"I want to do as much as I can in my career and look back and say I made the most of all the opportunities I have had. I am always going to want to play in the Champions League."

And deciding whether or not to grant his wish should substantial offers come in doesn't look like being the only difficult call for Jol to make over the next few weeks.

Friday's publication of the Premier League free transfer list served as a reminder that the futures of club captain Danny Murphy, injury-prone forward Andy Johnson and shrewd January addition Pavel Pogrebnyak are all up in the air.

It wouldn't be a huge shock if the Cottagers opt to let Johnson leave, given that he didn't score a domestic goal in 2011/12 either side of his hat-trick in the 6-0 thrashing of QPR back in October, and has started just 65 league games in four years.

Murphy, although approaching the end of his career at 35, was selected for 33 of their Premier League fixtures and as their skipper would be a bigger loss, with plenty of bottom-half teams sure to be tracking developments.

Pogrebnyak's position is less clear, with his winter arrival form Stuttgart thought to have been on either a loan or a short-term contract, meaning they are vulnerable to losing him, even more so because he is in Russia's Euro 2012 squad.

However many of the trio depart, Fulham are expected to survive comfortably in the upcoming campaign, with odds of 14/1 offered on them being relegated.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.



http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/veteran-duo-and-dempsey's-fulham-futures-in-doubt_106786.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Andy Johson, Free Agent (To Be)

Twitter and the messageboards blew up today when it was "reported" that Danny Murphy, Andy Johnson, and several others were released.

As nuance is never social media's strong point, the list everyone was referring to (as can be seen here) was simply a list of every play who is out of contract at the end of the season. If we were to apply it to American sport, it would simply be a team's list of unrestricted, restricted, etc free agents. Or, if anyone works in a field that utilizes a lot of seasonal workers (like I do), it's simply everyone that is out of contract at X-date.

So this list is not an admission of Fulham saying Murphy et al will be released. Or be resigned. Or given a cookie. Just a statement of fact that's probably required in the Premier League's bylaws.

Now that we've cleared that up, just who is out of contract anyway?

Richard Michael Barroilhet (Who?)
Jonathan Graham Cosgrove (Again, who?)
Grygera Zdenek (Not surprising)
Courtney Harris (Hmm, name sorta sounds familiar...)
Andrew Johnson (Yay!)
Daniel Ben Murphy (His middle name is Ben? Why hasn't he gone by D.B. Murphy? D. Ben? Danny B?)
Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak (Eh)
Bjorn Helge Semundseth Riise (Wait, he has another name??)

Outside of Danny Murphy, losing any of these players would elicit nothing more than a shrug (though, Pogrebnyak deserves his own post arguing the pros/cons of extended his loan deal).  But in the case of Andy Johnson, I really hope he's gone. Like, right now.

Rich wrote about his goal-scoring "feats", but I especially liked this wonderful nugget:

AJ's goals have come against Wigan, Newcastle, Spurs, Sheffield Wednesday, Kettering, Portsmouth, West Brom, Bolton, FK Vetra, Amkar Perm, Wigan, Villa, Wolves, NSI Runavik, Crusaders, Split, Twente, Odense and QPR.

Add Wisła Kraków to that list, (scored against them in Fulham's home fixture, which occurred after Rich's post was written. It's also the last goal he's scored for the club) and you basically have the ROI on a 10 million quid player. If that's not enough, below are charts of his league playing time each season since he's been at the club. (Note: I excluded the Europa League and other cup competitions as it skews the data. If you wish to see how he fared in each of those, go here.)






Now, if we just assume that each team averages about 4 matches per month, and each match is 90 minutes, a decent, if not forgiving, benchmark for a starting forward would be 300 minutes played (comes out to 75 minutes per game), no?

Well, as you can clearly see he's met that benchmark just once since his inaugural season. He's cracked 200+ minutes in just 9 of the last 30 season months. It must be said though that he actually did participate in this season's Europa League, playing in every qualifier and 5 of the 6 group stage matches. Though, he missed the finale against Odense due to a red card received the match before at Twente. Hmph.

It's one thing to not renew a forward's contract because he cannot score goals; or just goals against lowly opposition. It's another to not renew because said player couldn't even get on the field because of continual and various injuries.



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/andy-johson-free-agent/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Transfer Preview

Oh how I long for some football. For England fans, of course, there is Euro 2012 to exhume, in all its depressing glory. With Roy Hodgson at the helm there is that sense of familiarity to the Three Lions but, while they thieve the headlines over the next month, there will still be stories to tell from SW6.

Most of it, undoubtedly, will be materialised in the minds of some particularly creative journalists but there is no doubt that there will be activity at Motspur Park over the coming weeks and months. Here, I take a look at what could happen, what should happen and, fingers tightly crossed, what shouldn't happen.



Players In:

Jordan Rhodes - The most concrete and seemingly authentic link so far has been our supposed bid for the Huddersfield striker. According to reports - mostly from the Daily Mail - we've had a £3.5 million offer turned down, following the Terriers' promotion to the heady heights of the Championship. Following that Play Off success, Jol has made a £5 million offer that hasn't seemingly been responded to.

He's not quite the proven goalscorer - at least not at the top level of the English game - that we're after, but his free-scoring antics in League One has caught the attention of many a club. While players in a similar ilk - DJ Campbell, Jay Bothroyd - have failed to up their game when the Premier League has come a-knocking, there is something that suggests Rhodes is a cut above. Any move, below around £6 million, would garner my support. He has the potential to set England alight and there's no harm in letting Craven Cottage be his battleground.

Nacer Chadli - The rumours have been incredibly persistent with this young Belgian winger. At just 22, his glory years are clearly still ahead of him - something he acknowledged when he conceded that a move to Fulham could prove to be a stepping stone to bigger and better things. He compared his own possible path to that of fellow countryman Moussa Dembele and, while there's little sentiment in the idea that Fulham will be but a mere proving ground for Chadli, there could be a substantial profit involved in the end and at least a couple of years of top rate service.

Known for his pace, the winger could well have a role to play in the Fulham set up, perhaps adding an extra dimension to play in any absence of Damien Duff, whose legs are not what they used to be. At a price of around £5 million, he will not quite be a player of the quality of Dembele if and when he arrives, but the opportunity to nurture a truly terrific midfielder should be one that Jol doesn't dismiss.

Jermain Defoe/Niko Kranjcar - It's unfortunate that to be linked with two players of such experience and quality, that it is likely that Clint Dempsey or Dembele would have to go in the other direction. Jermain Defoe has a goal scoring record rarely seen in a Fulham purchase and his inclusion in the England squad for the European Championships shows he still has a significant role to play. Kranjcar is in a similar situation to Defoe - a top-drawer individual somewhat squeezed out by the numerous talents Harry Redknapp has at his disposal at Tottenham Hotspur. Both are players that could well make or break a season but the fact that Dembele would have to go the other way to get just one of the pair makes this rumour somewhat bittersweet.

Danny Simpson - It wasn't the most inspiring link thrown our way but the very thought of it highlighted our need for a proven right back. Zdenek Grygera was not included in Fulham's retained list, released today, and unlike Pavel Pogrebnyak and Danny Murphy, it is not thought that the club will pursue his signature on a new deal. That leaves a vast gap in the right back role which has been filled, with sporadic success, by Stephen Kelly over the past campaign.

Simpson is an established defender, and at the highest level, with pace in abundance, and yet the idea of him in Fulham's setup hardly fills me with confidence. Jose Bosingwa has been granted permission to leave Chelsea and he would be a player perfectly shaped to strengthen the right hand side but, palpably, his wages would prove a huge stumbling block. I for one hope a link to a somewhat stronger right back is established over the next few weeks.

Players Out

Moussa Dembele - Every member of England's elite have been credited with a passing interest in our Belgian midfielder and the persistence has yet to wear thin. Chelsea seem to be the most eager, the West London side supposedly tabling a £10 million bid to add to their already vast Belgian contingent. That offer is highly unlikely to persuade Martin Jol and Mohammed Al Fayed to let him go, however, and Fulham are likely to hold out for something far greater. In an attempt to mitigate losses, Jol is expected to agree a part exchange with any club which makes their interest known.

The major problem with such an idea will be wages. Florent Malouda could be thrown into the mix if Chelsea are to be Dembele's destination but there's no way Al Fayed would sanction the salary that the Frenchman would demand. It is highly likely that he will leave this summer but Jol is more eager to keep him than he is Dempsey, considering the pair's respective ages.

Clint Dempsey - After the season finished, it seemed an inevitability that Dempsey had played his last game for the Whites. That proposal still stands, but no firm bids have been made for the American as yet and at 29 years old, many clubs are being put off by the idea that his best days are behind him. One of those sides is Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger apparently following the midfielders fortunes over the course of last season. Wenger was impressed, but severely doubts if he will fit into the system. They are expected to deliberate over the coming months and come back with something after the Euros.

If nothing goes through this summer, which is a distinct possibility, it is thought that Dempsey will not sign a new deal, in his long quest for Champions League football. No matter what, it is unlikely that Dempsey will play for Fulham beyond 2013. In such a circumstance, it seems far more sensible to cash in now and Jol appears to be on a similar wavelength. He will be hoping that interest will come from somewhere other than the Emirates.

David Stockdale - As was reported here yesterday, he's been linked with a move to West Ham United, with the goalkeeper believing his chances at Fulham are highly limited because of Mark Schwarzer. So much is true, too, but beyond next season, there'll be doubts over our Australian stopper's future and Stockdale may well become first choice. He is well adept to the role, too, having shown his ability in Schwarzer's absence on many-an-occasion, but whether he has the patience to see out the current number one's career is a question he knows the answer to. With a bid of around £5 million put forward by the Hammers, Jol will certainly be tempted.



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/6/1/3057410/fulham-transfer-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
ON BALANCE, DEMBELE WOULD PROBABLY BE BETTER OFF AT SPURS

Fulham could be set to lose Belgian international forward Moussa Dembele as the Premier League's big boys form a queue for his services.

Dembele took a while to settle in since his move from AZ Alkmaar in August 2010, but his displays over the 2011 season were outstanding and they haven't gone unnoticed as teams line up a move for the 24 year old.

Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham have been credited with an interest for the Fulham star, whose contract expires in a year's time. These clubs are clearly seeing that they could get a bargain as Fulham won't want to risk losing Dembele for nothing in 2013.

If Dembele becomes available, which club should he join?

Manchester United: The Red Devils are looking for fresh firepower with Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov seemingly heading for the exit at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck is a strong core of strikers, but they need another player in the position to compensate for Berbatov and Michael Owen's departures. Dembele is another player like Wayne Rooney who likes to drop off from a striker and create chances, so I think that Dembele is a great fit for United – Rooney's position behind the striker is crucial to United's attacking play.

ARSENAL: Despite signing Lukas Podolski, Arsenal are still in the market for another striker. They are believed to have offered cash plus Marouane Chamakh for the Montpellier forward Olivier Giroud, only to see the bid knocked back.

The future of star striker Robin van Persie is likely to dictate what Arsenal look at in the transfer market, but I'm not totally sure where Dembele fits in the Arsenal system.

Wenger's 4-3-3 system doesn't really accommodate a deep lying striker, so I think Arsenal should pursue other targets and Dembele should look for somewhere that suits his game better.

TOTTENHAM: Another team that are really looking for a new striker, Spurs have been linked with Giroud, Loic Remy and Leandro Damiao, whilst a permanent deal for Emmanuel Adebayor isn't totally out of the equation.

Redknapp has often used Rafael van der Vaart behind a central striker and with the Dutchman being touted for a move to Germany, Dembele would be the perfect player to play behind someone like Remy – taking possession and creating chances for pacy players like Bale and Lennon. Would Fulham sell to a local rival? That remains to be seen.

CHELSEA: Chelsea are really splashing the cash after winning the Champions' League. Eden Hazard is on his way to Stamford Bridge and a deal for Porto's Hulk could also be in the offing.

Dembele would be joining a strong Belgian contingent at Chelsea, who recently signed Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin be Bruyne, but where would he play? Fernando Torres has recently had crunch talks with the hierarchy at Chelsea over his playing time (or lack of), so would Dembele be treated any better? I highly doubt it.

Having assessed how Dembele would fit in, I think Tottenham is the best move for him right now. He would get instant playing time (if van der Vaart does indeed leave), would be able to stay in London and play alongside players who suit his game.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson may see great value in the Belgian and not many players can resist the lure of Old Trafford – the chance to win titles and play in the Champions League may be too much to turn down for Dembele.



http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2012/06/premiership/arsenal/on-balance-demebele-would-be-better-off-at-spurs?

[WhiteJC]

 
Chelsea and Manchester United in £10m battle for Fulham midfielder Dembele

Chelsea and Manchester United have both registered their interest in Mousa Dembele and opened talks over a £10million move for Fulham's attacking midfielder.

Dembele's refusal to renew a contract that has just 12 months to run has attracted widespread interest, and Sportsmail can reveal that Chelsea and United have stolen a march over their rivals by starting negotiations over the fee and personal terms.


Wanted: Chelsea and United are interested in Dembele

Sir Alex Ferguson has long admired the  24-year-old Belgium playmaker, while Chelsea see him as an ideal long-term replacement for Frank Lampard.

With Lampard about to turn 34, Chelsea are understood to be conducting a review of potential candidates to fill his boots a year or two down the line, and Dembele is seen as the ideal choice.

Asked about Chelsea's interest, his agent Rodger Linse said: 'It fits Mousa's ambitions perfectly to become the replacement for someone like Frank Lampard one day, just as playing in the Champions League does as well.'



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2153470/Chelsea-United-10m-battle-Mousa-Dembele.html#ixzz1wc799Rrk

[WhiteJC]

 
Mousa's Wembley Goal

Mousa Dembele is planning to cause an upset against England on Saturday afternoon and the Belgium international is feeling confident that his team can reign supreme at Wembley Stadium.

"I'm really looking forward to playing at Wembley," Dembele told fulhamfc.com. "It will be a great challenge and I think we can beat England. We have a young team which is getting better all the time and it will be a good test for us.

"Wembley is a stadium I have never played at so I am looking forward to playing in such a special arena for the first time. I hear very good stories of Wembley and it has a lot of history and a lot of great matches have been played there.

"There will be a big crowd watching and they will make a lot of noise, so that will make it very exciting. I hope we will be able to perform at our best, show everyone what Belgium can do and have a good experience there as a team."

After making over 40 appearances for Fulham last season Dembele will enjoy a well earned rest following the latest round of international matches, and the highly talented midfielder is looking forward to hitting the Big Apple and the beach in Bali this summer.

"After the international games, I'm going on holiday to New York for a week as it's a place I really like," said Dembele. "Then, after some time in the big city, I'm aiming to spend some time on the beach so I'll be going to Bali, then I go to Belgium to catch up with my family."


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/May/DembeleWembleyChallenge.aspx#ixzz1wc9aLZsI

[WhiteJC]

 
Borussia Dortmund linked with Burak Yilmaz



Borussia Dortmund are the latest club to be linked with prolific Trabzonspor striker Burak Yilmaz.

Yilmaz netted 35 times in 41 games this season and his modest €5 million release clause has attracted the attention of major clubs across Europe.

The 26 year old Turkish international has been in sensational form for Trabzonspor over the past two seasons. He guided the Black Sea giants to pole position in the league last year scoring 19 times, only to lose out on winning the championship to Fenerbahce on goal difference.

Yilmaz broke the clubs all time scoring record in the league this season with an impressive 33 goals and 9 assists, scoring 51% of Trabzonspor's 65 goals.

The Turkish Goal King possesses an impressive mix of pace, shoulder strength and off the ball ability.

Weighing 88kg and 188cm tall he uses his strength well in one on one situations, makes intelligent forward runs and is an uncanny ability of creating space. He holds the ball up well, takes an impressive free kick and has been carrying an otherwise poor attacking team on his back this season.

The Bundesliga Champions will face competition from, Juventus, Lazio, Fulham and Galatasaray. Yilmaz is currently training with the Turkish national team in Portugal and is not expected to make a decision until after he returns.



http://www.turkish-football.com/news_read.php?id=2994

[WhiteJC]

 
Blues move into pole for Dembele

Moussa Dembele's agent has dropped a big hint that the Fulham star is ready to quit Craven Cottage and join Chelsea.

The Belgian playmaker has had an impressive two seasons with the Cottagers but, with just one year left on his current deal, he has refused to sign a new contract and looks set to move on this summer.

The 24-year-old has attracted the attention of all the top clubs in the Premier League - with Chelsea and Manchester United said to be leading the race to sign him - and Fulham hope to make at least £10million on any deal.

Chelsea, who have already signed Eden Hazard this summer and are also expected to caputure striker Hulk from Porto, appear in the driving seat to land Dembele after his agent admitted a move to Stamford Bridge would appeal, where he is being lined up as a possible long-term replacement for Frank Lampard.

Agent Rodger Linse is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: "It fits Mousa's ambitions perfectly to become the replacement for someone like Frank Lampard one day, just as playing in the Champions League does as well."


http://www.clubcall.com/chelsea/blues-move-into-pole-for-dembele-1434801.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
CHELSEA BID FOR BELGIAN STAR COULD SPARK FULHAM FIRE SALE

With the £30million transfer of Eden Hazard all but secured, Chelsea are now ready to turn their attention to another Belgian international, with a serious interest in Fulham's Moussa Dembele.

The forward, often employed in a midfield role over the course of the past season, is rated at £10million, and fits the bill as the kind of player Roman Abramovich wants to bring to Chelsea.

His current manager Martin Jol is reluctant to lose him, but knows it would be difficult for the 24-year-old to resist the advances of the current Champions League champions.

This has been proved by Dembele's reluctance to sign a new deal at Craven Cottage, and with only one year remaining on his contract, now could be the time for the Cottagers to cash in on one of their prize assets.

Manchester United have also displayed an interest in Dembele, though their priority signing would appear to be a more natural midfield playmaker, as opposed to a reverted striker in the mould of the Belgian.

He could however, prove the first in a string of high-profile names to exit the club this summer, and Fulham know they will be hard-pressed to find suitable replacements for their outgoing attackers at affordable prices.

American forward Clint Dempsey, who scored 23 goals in all competitions last season, is expected to join Arsenal, with a will to play Champions League football prevalent in the 29-year-old's ambitions.

Dempsey too has just one year remaining on his current contract, and the Cottagers will likely accept bids to avoid losing the imposing USA international for nothing next summer.

Andy Johnson is another forward set to leave Craven Cottage meanwhile, after a refusal to sign a new Fulham deal has left a host of clubs clambering for his signature.

As opposed to taking up an offer elsewhere in England though, Johnson appears primed for a move to the United Arab Emirates, in which astronomical salaries are the norm, particularly for players with past Premier League experience.



http://www.sportingpreview.com/euro2012/2012025.php?

[WhiteJC]

 
West Ham United linked with move for Fulham keeper David Stockdale

West Ham have been linked with a move for Fulham keeper David Stockdale.

With Robert Green's future at Upton Park still uncertain as he out of contract, manager Sam Allardyce may be in the market for another stopper and it has been suggested Stockdale may be an option.

The 26-year-old has been unable to dislodge Mark Schwarzer as the number one at Craven Cottage but the Hammers may have to pay as much as £5m for his services.



http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/westham/westhamnews/9742047.Hammers_may_move_for_Stockdale/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Why we don't want Andy Johnson back at Palace

He's been released by Fulham so inevitably the rumours of a move back to Selhurst Park have started, but FYP's Rob Sutherland doesn't want Andy Johnson back at Palace. Here's why...

Palace fans aren't the kind to expect much. Toiling is part of the club's make-up and accepting failure is a rite of passage. When a player arrives having struggled to find the net, with low expectations and little excitement, Palace fans are at ease knowing that, if it doesn't work out, at least they tried.

When Andrew Johnson arrived at the club, few thought much of him. A player who had frustrated at Birmingham City, famed for his tearful League Cup final penalty miss against Liverpool, Johnson was exactly the kind of player the support could get used to.

To think that Johnson would become a Crystal Palace success story is remarkable. Forgetting that the player had a reputation of being a goal-shy grafter, and despite the heavy burden of filling Clinton Morrison's boots, Palace fans took to the Bedford-born youngster immediately. His rise in popularity was assisted, of course, by that hat-trick against Brighton & Hove Albion, but even then, few could have expected him to become such a star for the club.

The fact is that Jonson went from being a striker who scored a goal every ten appearances for  Birmingham City to averaging a goal every two appearances for Palace. He went from being a grafter who couldn't score to being a grafter who knew exactly where the net was. Without his move to Palace, the chances of Johnson becoming a sought-after striker for Premier League clubs and an England international with eight caps to his name were minimal. It was the perfect match however -- just as Palace needed Johnson, so the player needed Palace.

It is, with this in mind, that Palace fans are screaming for the return of the prodigal striker after he has been let go by Fulham. After a number of seasons without a regular goalscorer, Palace fans are itching for a player who can fill that role -- a player like AJ.

The problem for Palace is that, despite an injury-plagued number of years since his move away from Selhurst Park, he is still a remarkable talent -- the goals don't come as frequently for AJ but he's still a player with an impressive understanding of attacking play and an ability to link up with a variety of players. He has also added to his game; providing support and assists to fellow attackers.



With the two Premier League moves Johnson has had, it is unlikely that the player will accept a transfer to a Championship club when he is still capable of finding a deal at another top side. As if that temptation isn't enough for him, the potential of a move to the United Arab Emirates, with the big-money contracts promised, would probably be too attractive a proposition for a player nearing the end of his playing career (and he has hinted at this).

Established Premier League players also come with big price-tags -- despite there being no transfer fee, the contract Johnson could demand would be far beyond what Palace's owners could or even should budget for. In the past, where the club frequently spent in excess of a £1m on players, the justification might have been that by there not being a transfer fee we could spend an equivalent on wages. Johnson's contract with Palace in his last season was valued at around £25,000-per-week. The contract he was on at Fulham is likely to have been far in excess of that. Even at  £25,000-per-week, Palace were spending £1.3m per year on his wages. Double that and you get an idea of what Palace would be looking at per year.

Finally, there is also the fear that comes with a returning player. They are never quite good as they were in their original spell. Few will forget the lumbering performances of David Hopkin after his time away from the club. Bar his hand-ball at Stockport which led to Dougie's last-minute relegation-sparing winner, Hopkin looked a ghost of his former self. Equally, despite a successful end to his second spell with the club, Clinton Morrison wasn't quite the same player that left us when AJ arrived.

There are exceptions; the Dougie Freedmans who play like they never departed; the Shaun Derrys who surprise by being better than they were when they were originally with the club. These are rare exceptions however and, in the majority of cases, such moves prove to be expensive mistakes.

Freedman really should be looking to bring in some younger talent, the likes of Sam Baldock perhaps or Nick Powell from Crewe (although he will have to do battles with some big teams), but we need to do what we did with Johnson the first time round - take a gamble on an unknwown rather than chuck money at an ageing star.

AJ is a player whose performances will never be forgotten. His history with the club should not be tainted by the wishful thought that a return to the club would be advantageous to the club and the player, when in reality its unlikely to be for either. We should instead bask in the knowledge that we truly saw the best of Andrew Johnson.



http://www.fiveyearplanfanzine.co.uk/Guest-Blog-Content/why-we-dont-want-andy-johnson-back-at-palace.html?